Now on the Renfe train to Barcelona, this entry will sum up our tour.

Overall, everything went very well, we can’t control the weather, but even the worst of our experiences were limited to two bad hours one day, and another lousy hour a second day. Like that famous book written in the 19th century by Edward Bellamy, it mostly rained at night, and boy did it rain then. Dan and I were awakened a few times by thunder and lightning at 02:00 and thinking how happy we were not to be outside in it. Or camping for that matter.

The one thing we brought that we were happy that we didn’t need was the first aid kit. Somehow we managed to stay upright all the time, even with high headwinds and loads.

In terms of other gear, we pretty much used all of it, including our down jackets, as the one warm clothing item we carried. I could’ve gotten by with one pair of bike shorts, as they did completely dry overnight, but that’s not always a given, and putting on cold, damp bike shorts in the morning is..well who needs coffee?

Our route choices worked out nicely. Using cycle.travel to plan the next day, then sending it to ride with gps, where we could load the route onto our Garmins was great. Having a gps to guide one through towns is a lifesaver, no thinking or having to stop to look at one’s phone. My own Garmin was frustratingly wonky at times,  but after a full reset, it functioned for the second half of the trip.

We liked our decision to avoid the Portuguese coast between Faro and Lagos. It’s really built up, with heavy traffic, and, while beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it’s not that attractive. Rick Steves agrees with us. And our route allowed us to enjoy lovely riding and stunning scenery around Sagres. 

If one wanted a pure tour, instead of using the train for an hour, one could head way inland. We thought of that ourselves, but inland towns had few accommodations available this time of year. As it was, our four room inn in Monchique was the only lodging available to us in that town. 

We also wanted to see Aracena Spain, with its oak forests, but that was another area with limited lodging options this time of year. The real crux for us was getting around Huelva. The dirt option we chose for our return was superior to going through Huelva, even though we loved the bike network that goes directly east from that city. One could probably find lodging in Lepe or Cartaya and explore the littoral marshes east of Huelva without having to go into the city. 

It was a terrific ten days. Dan and I ended up laughing like little kids on occasion, sharing a joke, etc. ,As my good friend Ken says: onward!